Early research identified the-fuzzy front end stages of product/service development as crucial for successful innovation . Choices made during this stage are of paramount importance because they condition the subsequent stages of development. However, these choices and the decisions based on them have the highest level of fuzziness. Because the decisions taken during the early stages are more economical than those taken in the latter stages of development, anyimprovementsmadeduringtheFFEarelikelytobemore efficient , especially when more formal management modes are adopted.